


Olmstead Manor

by Silbrith



Series: Tales from the Library [4]
Category: The Invisible Library - Genevieve Cogman
Genre: Gen, Mystery, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Steampunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 11:50:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20425505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silbrith/pseuds/Silbrith
Summary: Events in the Lake Country force Kai to confront an unpleasant truth. Story #4 in the series Tales from the Library.





	1. Excursion to Cumbria

_Notes: The series takes place between the first and second novels. I've written a status update about the main characters for the blog I co-write with Penna Nomen, [Penna Nomen & Silbrith Conversation](https://pennasilbrithconversation.blogspot.com/). The post is called: [Library Acquisition: Olmstead Manor](https://pennasilbrithconversation.blogspot.com/2019/08/library-acquisition-olmstead-manor.html). See the notes at the end of the story for more information._

* * *

**London, England. Alternate World: B-395.**

"Three days ago, a dirigible crashed in western Suffolk, killing all on board. The resulting explosion set a field on fire." Kai interrupted his perusal of the newspaper to look at Irene hopefully. "Do you know of any novels featuring dirigible crashes?"

Had they become that desperate? Irene restrained her sigh to a tiny puff as she glanced over at Vale. He continued to play a Bach partita on his violin, not deigning to engage in the speculation. "If it were a hot air balloon, we'd have better odds. Keep searching."

She and Kai were availing themselves of Peregrine Vale's hospitality and, more importantly, his extensive newspaper resources to ferret out a lead on Count Lecerf. The Fae was their top priority in this world since they'd discovered he owned books which acted as portals to other realities. It was a matter of hot debate among senior Librarians whether the illustrations were traverses to physical alternate worlds or produced some sort of holographic illusion. So far she'd been able to procure only one portal-book, but it had lost its ability by the time it was inspected in the Library. Senior scientists had been unable to determine the mechanism for creating portals, and no one knew if it was temporarily dormant or had permanently disappeared.

Lecerf appeared to be on a campaign to establish his authority over other Fae in Vale's world. As the level of chaos increased, society was gradually becoming destabilized. Eventually, governments could topple because of the unrest. Magical creatures would likely become commonplace. Irene's supervisor Coppelia feared that the alternate was being used to test the process. If they weren't able to stop Lecerf, he could soon spread the infection to other worlds.

In the previous incident, the ensnared Fae was a devotee of _Wuthering Heights_. Lecerf had taken her interest, amplified it, and then distorted reality to create nightmarish scenes from the novel. He'd provided her with a copy of _Wuthering Heights_ which could trap the reader in its scenes.

As Lecerf honed his technique, the number of treated books would surely proliferate. Irene theorized that their best hope of tracking him would be to discover another sequence of events which appeared to be derived from a novel. Granted, the odds of success were dismally low, but their attempts to locate Lecerf by other means had failed.

Peregrine Vale, London's greatest detective, was currently London's most bored detective. Initially he'd been keen to lend his assistance, but as the days dragged on and no leads surfaced, his interest waned.

His rooms on Baker Street were much more luxurious than their humble lodgings in Warren Mews, and he had a seemingly unending supply of brandy along with subscriptions to all the important newspapers in England. By meeting in his quarters, Irene was able to coax him into occasionally assisting with their research. Lately, however, he'd refrained from lifting even a token finger.

Up to now, she'd kept her complaints to herself but they were threatening to storm the barricades. After all, it was _his_ world they were trying to save, not to mention he'd forcefully argued to be allowed to participate in their efforts.

Irene squelched her grumpiness. Standing up, she stretched her back and poured herself another cup of Earl Gray tea. "What's next in your stack?" she asked Kai.

He contemplated the mound of papers in front of him as he rubbed one of his eyelids. "I've just started on the Edinburgh papers. We've yet to explore the _Cumbria Gazette_." 

"The Lake District's not far from Leeds," she informed her teacup. Given that the Earl of Leeds was sitting in the same room with them and was much more familiar with the area than she was, would it be too much to expect for him to offer to perform the chore? Judging by his complete absence of response, evidently it was.

Irene settled in to read, making a mental note to reward her and Kai's diligence at the end of the day with dinner out at the new chophouse which opened on the corner of the block.

But, as luck would have it, seafood turned out to be more appropriate.

"What do you make of this?" she asked. "A resident of a small town called Birthwaite reported an unusual sighting on the banks of Windermere lake. He was walking home late at night when he saw strangely deformed humans clustered at the water's edge."

Vale stopped playing long enough to bark a short laugh. "How many pints had he imbibed at the local pub?"

"None, or so he claimed, and since he's the son of the local innkeeper, he must have known any lie would be quickly exposed."

"Does the report include the name of the inn?"

"The Green Mermaid."

"Hmm." Vale returned the violin to the case, a promising sign. "I've stayed at the inn and met the family. The Farleys, if memory serves."

Irene nodded. "The witness's name is Ian Farley. He's twenty years old and assists his father with the pub."

"Did Ian provide any further details?" Kai asked.

"He said they had an odd fishlike appearance with bulging eyes and narrow heads. They were completely naked with grayish skin. Instead of walking, they appeared to shamble, more like penguins than anything else."

"Any mention of the Deep Ones?" Kai asked, exchanging a smile with Irene. She was glad to see he was acquainted with horror literature.

"No, nor of underwater cities, but we may need to check it out." She turned to Vale. "What is the depth of Windermere?"

"Why do you want to know?" he challenged.

"A simple investigation to determine if it's deep enough to hold a city," she said calmly.

"Is this a conspiracy to force me to take part in your mind-stultifying studies?" Vale challenged.

"Not at all. It's a legitimate inquiry we would be remiss in ignoring," Kai assured him, his smile widening.

With a much put-upon sigh, Vale stood up and walked over to his bookcase where he pulled a thick leather-bound volume. "Two hundred nineteen feet."

"The odds, therefore, are higher for it being an underwater village than a town." Irene nodded sagely as if it were a completely reasonable hypothesis.

Vale snorted. "You can't be serious. Ian may not have been inebriated but he could have been hallucinating. There are several diseases which could be responsible for his so-called sighting. In any case, I know of no work of fiction with fishlike people."

"You wouldn't," Irene said. "It doesn't exist in your world, at least not yet. In many other alternates, H.P. Lovecraft is a famous author. He wrote horror stories—what you would call Gothic fiction."

"Sensationalist nonsense, in other words," he scoffed. "Still, for a bored Fae, playing with preternatural elements could have a certain appeal."

"And be dangerous for all those affected," Kai added. "Lovecraft wrote a novella called _The Shadow over Innsmouth_ where fishlike creatures known as the Deep Ones have established an underwater kingdom. They mate with humans. Their hybrid offspring appear human but as they age they gradually assume the characteristics of fish. Eventually they depart to dwell in the Deep Ones' city."

Irene was surprised that Kai was so familiar with the tale, but she could understand the attraction. In her limited understanding of dragons, different families had affinities to different elements in the land, seas, and sky. Kai had demonstrated the ability to control water and command river spirits. As a youth, he may have been drawn to aquatic fantasies.

Vale was right that the link was hair-thin, but it matched their search criteria and was the only incident which came close to providing a lead. "There's a newly opened branch line to Birthwaite," she informed the world at large. "A quick trip should enable us to check out the story and determine if it warrants further investigation. No need for you to trouble yourself," she added to Vale. "I know you have far more important matters to attend to."

He grimaced. "There's no need to rub in how desperate I've become for something, _anything_, to ease the boredom of the trivial cases the local constabulary provides me. How soon can we leave?"

"Is tomorrow morning soon enough?" A trip of this short duration would require minimal preparation. She could travel to the Library in the evening to notify Coppelia of her plans. Since the highly regrettable incident last year of a Librarian being abducted in Calcutta and his disappearance not being discovered till several weeks afterward, all Librarians were required to register their travel itineraries in advance.

#

It was midday when their party disembarked from the train at the Birthwaite station. Kai breathed in the moist air fragrant with the scent of moss and willow. After the smog and coal dust of London, his punished senses were reenergized. The small town was close enough to the lake that Kai could detect the water spirits dwelling within.

The season had been unusually cold and they didn't see many tourists as they walked through town to the Mermaid Inn. The innkeeper was happy to accommodate them with three rooms, no doubt hoping for a prolonged stay. On a dreary day, locals were enjoying the hospitality of the inn's public lounge. A fire was lit in the rustic stone fireplace. Framed prints of fish shared space on the walls with mounted examples of fishing flies.

Irene had them split up, recommending they keep the spirits flowing to grease tongues. The local ales were excellent. This was the type of assignment Kai reveled in, and he wasn't alone. Vale was a changed man from the aloof, bored Londoner of the past few weeks. He'd slipped effortlessly into the role of an affable member of the landed gentry.

It didn't take long for Kai to accumulate several accounts of strange creatures which had been spotted around the lake. The sightings had all occurred within the past month. Ian Farley's account was the only one which made the newspapers but similar tales were told by other locals.

The incidents were all clustered along the lakefront near the house of a local resident named Walter Olmstead. When Kai first heard the name, he knew the man was Fae. Robert Olmstead was the narrator of _The Shadow over Innsmouth_. Upon hearing the news, even Vale became a believer in the connection. None of the locals, of course, recognized the significance.

"There are several points about the suspect which can be exploited," Vale said when he joined Irene and Kai at a table in the far corner of the lounge. "He's a bachelor who lives a hermit-like existence in his manor. The locals deride him for being a snob. Supposedly he considers the townsfolk beneath him. His few social interactions had been with other landowners."

"His lack of social skills was often commented upon," Kai added. "One woman told me with undisguised glee that Olmstead's efforts to woo the daughter of a local squire were rebuffed soundly."

Irene smiled. "I heard the same story." She tilted her head in Vale's direction. "How would Olmstead respond if the Earl of Leeds paid him a visit?"

Vale snorted softly. "For once my title could be useful. When Olmstead hears about my unmarried sister, he'll likely fantasize about a future alliance. I'll need a pretext to visit him, of course."

"You could be soliciting funds for charity," Irene suggested.

He nodded slowly. "I've visited the parish church in Kendal. It dates back to the thirteenth century and is in need of restoration—a worthy cause which I could expound upon at length. It will be more effective if I visit him alone."

Vale's offer to call on Olmstead came as welcome news. It left Irene and Kai free to conduct a nocturnal stakeout, not something Kai would ever object to.

Vale hired one of the innkeeper's sons to deliver a message to Olmstead, indicating his desire to meet with him that evening. Irene had learned from the innkeeper that hansoms were available for hire. While Vale waited for a response, she and Kai set off to secure the vehicles. By the time they returned, the Fae had conveyed his acceptance.

Since all the sightings had been at night, they waited till darkness set in before starting the stakeout. Olmstead Manor was located about three hundred yards from the lake. With Vale keeping him busy, the chance of Kai and Irene being discovered was remote, and in any case Olmstead didn't own the woods next to the lake.

The setting might not be Irene's ideal venue, but for Kai the atmosphere was drenched with magic. Their hideout was a copse of alders and underbrush not far from a footpath leading to the lake.

"What was that?" Irene whispered, inching closer to Kai.

"Just a fox," he murmured. He longed to place his arm around her, but she'd probably bristle.

She gave an embarrassed groan. "I wish there was a moon so I could see better."

This probably wasn't the correct time to expound on the superior vision of dragons. Irene already knew he could see better in the dark. As far as he was concerned, their stakeout was going exceptionally well.

There were few excluding dragons who understood the true nature of the five basic elements of life—earth, water, fire, water, and ether— and could sense the spirits which resided within them. Only dragons had an affinity for communicating with them, bending them to their will if necessary but preferably partnering with them.

Kai was particularly sensitive to spirits within inland bodies of water. Now, sitting beside the lake, he could feel the water spirit nudging and rubbing against him as a cat would her owner. Irene's only experience with elemental spirits was when Kai had called on one to rescue her and Vale from the Thames. Knowledge of those mysterious forces was a closely guarded secret which dragons only shared among their own kind. Irene had never questioned him about the river spirit which saved her, but did she consider Kai's ability yet another barrier to intimacy?

Irene sniffed the breeze. "Do you smell something odd?"

"That fishy odor? I don't think it was here previously."

She tugged on the sleeve of his jacket, urging him deeper into the thicket. "Someone's coming."

The malodorous smell became more acrid as the sound of shuffling footsteps grew louder. Two hulking shapes came into view. They were both naked. Their bodies retained enough humanoid characteristics so that it was possible to recognize they were man and woman, but their skin was gunmetal gray with a faint sheen and as smooth as a dolphin's. Large pectoral fins were on their backs. The resemblance to fish was enhanced by their enormous eyes which stared vacantly at their surroundings from either side of their narrow heads. Their long claw-like toes were connected by thick webbing.

Kai heard Irene's breath quicken as they watched the creatures shamble to the lake and plunge into the water. He was able to track their movement for several yards before they completely disappeared under the surface. They appeared to be making for the center of the lake.

"Are they real or a Fae-inspired hallucination?" he mused.

"My bet is a hallucination, but how? Vale is currently meeting with Olmstead. Is the Fae capable of distorting reality remotely while engaged in conversation?" She winced. "We thought Lecerf was acting alone. We may have been overly optimistic."

#

"We stayed around for an hour, but they showed no signs of reappearing," Irene said, taking a sip of well-deserved port and savoring the warmth of the cheerfully crackling fire in the fireplace. She'd never fancied herself an outdoorswoman, and this experience served to strengthen her conviction. Base case, why would anyone want to spend hours in the woods with not a book in sight, assuming she'd be able to read it by moonlight?

When they returned to the inn, Vale was waiting for them in the pub which by now had dwindled to only a few patrons. The closing hour would fast be upon them, but no such restrictions applied to lodgers.

"Are Fae capable of making a joint hallucination?" Vale asked skeptically. "You could also smell the creatures."

"Powerful ones are," she said. "It's simply a different type of distorted reality. When we were chased by Lecerf in Hyde Park, you and I both were stopped dead in our tracks by a meadow which had magically transformed into quicksand. This could have been a similar illusion. The only other possibility is that the alternate world created by the book can somehow leak into our reality. If that's the case, the situation is even more dire than we realized." 

"The consequences would be profound," Vale agreed soberly.

Irene's unruly mind couldn't resist starting a list of imaginary creatures and demons from literature who could wreak havoc on a population. Ignoring for a moment Lovecraft's monsters, there was Grendel, the Jabberwock, not to mention the Nazgul . . . She grabbed hold of her errant brain cells and gave them a hard shake. _Not helpful_.

"I spent two tedious hours with Olmstead," Vale added, stretching his boot-clad legs in front of the hearth, "and at no time did he appear distracted or disengaged. The reports were quite accurate about his interest in scaling the social ladder. Over a bottle of surprisingly decent claret, he became increasingly loquacious. He lives alone with several cats for companions." Vale glanced at his tweed jacket and plucked a ginger hair from his lapel. "I counted six inside. It is well you didn't go with me. Despite his desire to make my sister's acquaintance, the man spoke condescendingly of women. I was forced to tacitly agree in order to strengthen the possibility of a future friendship. Olmstead has a bookcase in his study, but I was unable to obtain more than a passing look at the volumes."

"How old a man is he?" Kai asked.

"He's in his mid-thirties, slim with slightly stooped shoulders and a pallor which indicates he doesn't engage in many outdoor activities."

"Was he wearing a ring?" Irene asked. Count Lecerf had used a ring to control a Fae in Yorkshire. If Olmstead wore a similar piece of jewelry, it would be further confirmation.

"A gold signet ring with a design which may be of interest to you." Vale pulled out a small notepad from his breast pocket and drew a few lines on it. "What do you make of this?"

Irene studied the marks. "They look like a branch with five offshoots. Perhaps they're meant to represent an antler?" She passed the paper to Kai.

"It also could be a symbol Lovecraft designed," Kai said. "He mentioned it in _The Shadow over Innsmouth_ as the Elder Sign. It's a charm which is supposed to offer protection against the Deep Ones."

Vale drummed his fingers absently on the table. "Is it merely an odd coincidence that the two symbols are so similar? I kept an eye out for cervine motifs but only found this solitary example. There are no mounted trophies, deer statues or paintings. But it's clear that Olmstead is one of the Fair Folk. I detected his influence on me. His glamour related to my sister. Thoughts of having him as a brother-in-law suddenly seemed quite attractive." He snorted softly. "A notion I was quickly able to stifle."

"Was there anything else noteworthy?" Irene asked.

"Olmstead has a profound distaste of industrialization. When I described the deplorable state of the parish church, he was quick to blame nearby factories as the culprit."

"His disdain for technology is another signal he's Fae, as if we needed additional evidence," Irene said.

"And also of Lovecraft," Kai noted. "All the attributes you described are characteristics of the typical Lovecraft hero, even his love of cats. His studious nature, detest for modern technology, elitism . . . I'd love to see what his bookcase contains."

"As would I," Irene agreed. "The Fae are known for adopting characteristics of fictional characters, but Olmstead appears to be carrying it to an extreme. Is he in control or has Lecerf used his fondness for Lovecraft to enslave him? I'm more inclined to believe the latter. It's why Lord Silver has been so willing to help us. He fears Lecerf and the power he wields over Fae."

"I'm unfamiliar with Fae hierarchy," Vale admitted. "Do they have kings?"

"Not to my knowledge," she said. "Their titles are fictitious like the fantasies they weave around themselves. Unlike the dragons' tight family structure, Fae prefer loose associations, forming temporary alliances when it serves their purposes. Lecerf could be plotting to take advantage of that."

"I've offered to take Olmstead to inspect the church in Kendal tomorrow," Vale said, "and he was quick to agree. The manor should be empty for several hours," he added, his eyes drifting to the ceiling. The half-smile on his lips indicated he knew full well her excitement at having the manor free to explore.

She wished she felt more confident that Olmstead was the only Fae they had to deal with. Lecerf could also be present. He could have caused the hallucination while spying on them. If Lecerf was aware of their presence in Birthwaite, they could be playing into his treacherous hands.

#

Kai enjoyed driving the ether-powered hansom to the manor. The carriage didn't go much faster than a horse at a trot. It was a far cry from the hover speedsters on the alternate he'd grown up in. He hoped he could take Irene there someday.

They arrived at Olmstead's home an hour after he'd left with Vale to visit the church. They were in luck and no servants were around. Irene used the Language to unlock the door. They headed straight for the study where confirmation of their suspicions immediately became apparent.

Kai could detect the heightened level of chaos when he was still a few feet from the study. He paused briefly, leaning on the wall till the wave of dizziness passed.

"What's wrong, Kai?" Irene asked. "Chaos?"

Blast, he'd be no good to her if he'd developed some sort of heightened sensitivity to chaos. He'd hoped his illness at Thrushfield Hall was a one-time fluke, caused by the tampered copy of _Wuthering Heights_ in his bedroom, but now it was happening again.

"The effect's receding," he said, desperately hoping that was the case. "It's good I sensed something. That must mean a tampered book's in the room."

"Right," she said absently, worrying her lip. Kai longed to ask her what she was thinking, but he dreaded the answer. His usefulness to her would be over if he couldn't control the severity of his reaction.

"Another possibility is that this is a trap similar to Lecerf's library in Montmartre," she said.

Relieved that she wasn't dwelling on his temporary weakness, he eagerly pursued her line of reasoning. "If this was staged, it means he knew in advance that we'd be here. I agree that Olmstead could be in league with Lecerf, but it's hard to believe that we've been constantly monitored. Only Vale was informed of our plans to go to Cumbria."

"You're forgetting someone else—senior Librarians. They all have access to my travel logs."

"You think Lecerf has an ally within the Library?" Kai asked, his dizziness forgotten.

"We can't rule it out, but we'll have to deal with that problem later. Will you be able to function or should you wait outside?"

"I can manage," he said, proceeding to the study. "It's tolerable and if the chaos is connected to a book, I should be able to determine its location."

She narrowed her eyes. "By keeling over? Don't let it go that far, I'm warning you, or there _will _be words."

Kai relaxed, relieved that Irene wasn't treating him like he was made of glass. He stood next to her and read through the titles of the books. As was typical with Fae, they appeared to be all works of fiction. In this case, Gothic fiction assumed a large proportion of the works. Walpole, Radcliffe, Stoker . . . all known authors in this alternate.

"This has to be it," Irene said, pulling out a thin volume. "It's a copy of _The Shadow over Innsmouth_. Lecerf must have brought it here from another alternate, and that in itself is enough to add instability to the world. Do you sense anything different about it?"

He nodded, willing himself to ignore the vertigo. "You better hold it. Should we check for illustrations?"

"If we do, we run the risk of being pulled into another world like what happened in Thrushfield Hall."

"But if we don't try it, we may never know. The copy of _Wuthering Heights_ lost its potency once we removed it from the property. The same thing could happen here."

Irene eyed him for a moment but didn't challenge his assertion. Kai groaned inwardly at the brief episode of weakness and resolved to not let it happen again although how he'd be able to avoid it wasn't obvious. "You told me you'd bound the book to you with the Language," he said. "Shouldn't that safeguard our return?"

He breathed easier when she didn't question the wisdom of him accompanying her. "The book should be tested. We need to know if it acts like the other one." She hesitated then spoke in the Language: "**Book I hold in my hands, you are bound to me and will not leave my grasp until I command you otherwise**." She took a breath. "Let's see what's inside."

The book was printed on cheap paper which had grown yellow and brittle. The dust jacket was torn and had been mended in several places with cellophane tape. Irene carefully flipped through the pages. The first illustration was of the narrator cowering behind a storefront as he gazed with horror on fishlike creatures who were strolling on the street. Irene gingerly pressed her hand onto the illustration, but her caution was needless. There was zero reaction.

The next illustration was toward the back of the book. It showed several of the creatures walking into the ocean under a full moon. The seaport could be seen in the background. Kai maintained a firm grip on Irene's arm as she tried the experiment one more time.

At once their world dissolved into a dense fog.

"Are you still with me?" she asked.

"I'm right beside you." Kai gave her arm a gentle squeeze through the wool fabric of her jacket. Slowly the fog dispersed to reveal their surroundings. They were standing in a small chamber constructed from some type of sheet metal. The shape was a rounded cube with two large portholes. A door with a large wheel in the center such as one would find on the bulkhead of a submarine was fitted into one wall. No equipment or dials were to be seen. More worrying was that there was no sign of an air duct. They likely wouldn't be able to stay here for long before their air supply was exhausted.

Irene approached one of the portholes. "The view indicates we're underwater, but it could be an illusion."

The view through the portholes compensated for the sparseness of the chamber. Swimming in front of them among large arctic char were the fishlike creatures they'd spotted on the edge of the lake. They'd retained their humanoid shapes but were swimming with no sign of discomfort. 

"That building the fish-men are entering resembles Olmstead Manor," Irene said. "It must be the Fae equivalent of the underground city of the Deep Ones. Are we meant to be in Windermere?"

"I believe so. Those large fish are indigenous to the lake."

"The purpose of this construction eludes me," she said. "Did Walter Olmstead want a private fantasyland for viewing the Deep Ones?"

"I can't think of any other purpose," Kai said. "It's as if he built a private aquarium."

Irene opened the book to the illustration and swallowed. "Correction. I just found another motive. It's a trap."

"Doesn't the drawing show Olmstead's study?" Kai asked. On the previous occasion, when Irene used the book to enter a Fae-created fantasy, the illustration changed upon her arrival to indicate the return destination.

"No, it continues to display the same image. Hold onto me while I test it." She placed her hand on the illustration but instead of being whisked back to the manor, they remained solidly in the chamber. The illustration appeared completely ordinary.

"I can no longer sense any chaos seeping from the book," Kai said. That was a positive. He didn't need any chaos-inflicted weakness to hamper his efforts.

"Olmstead must have planned this deliberately. He knew we were coming. That's why he was so accommodating with Vale. He was probably laughing inside when Vale extended the invitation to visit the church." She frowned at the uncooperative book. "Unless it's Lecerf who's pulling the strings."

"They must not be familiar with my ability. Assuming we're at the bottom of the lake, I'll be able to create an air passage for us to escape to the surface."

"Similar to what you did in the Thames?" she asked.

"Not exactly. There I'd called upon a river spirit to transport us to safety. Here I'm not sure which spirits dwell in the lake. But I should be able to draw down a column of air from the surface which will then act as our conveyance."

"_Should_? Have you done this before?"

"A couple of times," he replied, hoping she didn't ask how successful he'd been. His initial failure had been when he was much younger, and on that occasion it had been caused by a malfunction. He wouldn't permit a recurrence.

"You could swim to the surface without the need for any device, couldn't you?"

He nodded. "But you may not be able to. We have no idea what the depth is. Once I open the door, the water will likely flood in unless I've prepared the tunnel. Shall I proceed?"

"Please do. Any delay could cause us to fall prey to still more Fae devilry."

Kai nodded and closed his eyes, focusing on the water outside, shaping it to his will. He could feel a spirit outside, wanting to assist. The water churned, pulling down air from the sky and enveloping it. His eyes snapped on. "We should leave now. The column won't maintain integrity for long."

He darted to the door and spun the wheel. It rotated easily. Olmstead had meant for them to go outside. Was drowning them his intention? He shoved the door outward. It moved with a hollow whisper. And there in front of them was the passageway, just as he'd hoped.

Irene breathed through her mouth as she gazed at it. "How do we navigate it?"

"Simply by floating." He took her by her free hand and gave her a gentle push into the tunnel of air.

* * *

_Notes: Is Kai's confidence justified? The answer's in Chapter 2. I posted both chapters at the same time so you can continue reading._

_For an introduction to the world of the Invisible Library, please see the [Tales from the Library page](https://pennasilbrithconversation.blogspot.com/p/tales-from-library.html) of the blog I co-write with Penna Nomen: [Penna Nomen & Silbrith Conversation](https://pennasilbrithconversation.blogspot.com/). _

_Visuals for the story are on the Tales from the Library board of my [Silbrith's Stories Pinterest site](https://www.pinterest.com/silbrith/). The board includes my dream cast of actors as well as location pics. _


	2. Never Leave Home without a Dragon

**Somewhere in Cumbria.**

The translucent tunnel of air slanted gently upward through the dark water of the lake. When Irene left the underwater chamber, she was able to view its exterior for the first time. They had been transported into a diving bell which looked remarkably like an illustration from Jules Verne. As far as she knew, diving bells hadn't been invented in this alternate. Yet more proof of Lecerf's involvement, unless Olmstead, like Lecerf, was not a native of this world.

The underwater manor they'd observed from the porthole had disappeared and been replaced by the murky lake bottom. No fish humanoids greeted them, but the arctic char were real enough. After she floated upward a few feet, the diving bell vanished. Would that have happened even if they hadn't exited? Would she have found herself at the bottom of the lake with no air to breathe or would she have returned to Olmstead Manor?

Now she was as dry as if she were walking on land. A gentle air current pushed against her back, propelling her forward. She turned her head to see Kai following a few paces behind. He was rotating his hands as if treading water and she began imitating him. A loud humming sound made talking difficult. She guessed the slope to be roughly ten degrees. _Never leave home without a dragon_ was the takeaway she had from this experience. It made her wonder what else Kai was capable of. Her knowledge of dragons was about the same as all her fellow Librarians, meaning it could be scribbled onto the palm of one hand.

Suddenly, she was buffeted by turbulence. She began to fly forward at a much faster rate of speed. Struggling to check on Kai, she managed to turn around to face him even as she was hurled backward in gale-force winds. Kai's limbs lashed out in all directions as if he were fighting an unseen foe.

The wind blasted Irene through the tunnel. Her attempts to fight against the current and go to Kai's aid were futile. Her feet felt like they were being attracted to a powerful magnet which pulled her ever closer to the water's surface.

Kai's face was turning blue as if from lack of air, his hands at his throat. He stared fixedly at her as if willing her forward. What did he mean by shaking his head? To not help him? To stop? She was powerless against the wind, and there was no expression she knew of in the Language to render assistance.

With a sudden massive rush of air she was launched onto the shore of the lake, the book still firmly in her grip. A few seconds later, Kai sprawled next to her, face down on the shoreline. Irene jumped up and released the book with a voice command. Kai was still motionless.

"Are you all right?" When he didn't answer, a wave of fear rippled through her. She crouched beside him and turned him over.

Kai's eyes were closed and there was no response to taps on his cheek. She couldn't feel a pulse. He didn't appear to be breathing. Kneeling next to him, she placed her hands in position to begin CPR. One compression, two compressions, three . . .

Kai began shaking his head, mumbling something which sounded like _ning_. He then gasped and blinked his eyes rapidly as if trying to focus.

Irene sank back on her heels, exhaustion setting in. Their escape through the tunnel had left her with precious little reserve to draw upon. "How do you feel?" she asked, trying not to let the anxiety register too strongly in her voice.

He rubbed his brow with a shaky hand. "I'm okay," and propped himself up on his arms to assume a sitting position.

_Sure you are_. Irene consoled herself it was a positive sign that he felt well enough to fib. She helped him sit up. "What happened in the tunnel?"

"The passage was disintegrating. It took all my strength to hold it together."

"Where did that gale come from which propelled us onto the shore?"

Kai took a couple of slow ragged breaths. "That was me. I feared I wouldn't be able to get you to safety in time." He hunched over, looking totally spent. "I may have overcompensated."

_Truer words . . ._

#

The innkeeper placed a couple of brandies on the well-worn oak table in front of them. "Would you like something to eat?"

"Two ploughman's specials, please," Irene said. Despite Kai's disclaimer that he'd fully recovered, the way he slouched in the chair made a mockery of his words. The air passageway he'd created had transported them to the shore close to the location where they'd first observed the fish creatures. Kai said that the exit point had been deliberate on his part, but he'd revealed little else.

Irene hadn't pushed for an explanation during their walk back to Olmstead Manor to retrieve their carriage. Luckily, Olmstead hadn't returned home. It was conceivable Lecerf was lurking somewhere, but he made no attempt to reveal himself and Irene had no means to force him out in the open.

After she and Kai made a quick check of his study to verify that there was no residual trace of chaos which might indicate a second treated volume, she locked the front door and drove them back to the inn.

Kai no longer sensed any chaos emanating from the book. The illustration which had sucked them into the diving bell appeared unchanged, but it had lost its magical ability. Either the spell was designed to only work once, or the illustration needed somehow to be recharged.

"Thanks for your patience," Kai said once the innkeeper had taken their order. "I realize you need to understand what happened. I've been trying to make sense of it myself."

"You seemed to be fighting with someone in the tunnel," Irene prompted.

He nodded. "The first sign I had something was wrong was after I entered the tunnel. Within a minute, it began to disintegrate."

"Even before the wind accelerated?" she demanded, startled.

He nodded. "I'd hoped you wouldn't notice anything amiss. Usually creating a tunnel requires only moderate focus, but this time . . ." His words trailing off, he stopped and took another large sip of brandy. "I was barely able to hold its integrity. Then when the gale erupted, the air itself became toxic to me." He rubbed his forehead as if to erase the memory. "Do you realize what that means? The depth was sufficient that you could have drowned. When you didn't have any difficulty breathing, I wondered if I was experiencing a flashback . . . Perhaps it wasn't really happening." The last words were spoken so quietly, she had difficulty hearing them.

"You were in a similar situation in the past?"

"It was a long time ago. I've never had flashbacks about it till now." He shrugged wearily. "If that's what it was."

"I'm sorry, but I need to know the details."

"I know," he admitted, his face growing even more miserable. Irene's heart ached for him. She knew Kai liked to think of himself as her champion. She suspected a youth spent reading far too many tales of chivalry where the dragon was always the hero. Admitting to what he perceived as a weakness was an embarrassing ordeal but an essential one.

"Normally this is something which would be discussed among dragons," he said. "I ask for your discretion."

"And you have it. I won't reveal any of the details to the Library unless you agree," she promised, even as the brand on her back prickled at the thought. Her loyalty was supposed to be uppermost to the Library. Yet another rule that she was reinterpreting.

"When I was a stripling—about the equivalent of twelve years old—I was given the trial of air. It's one of the standard rites given to dragons of my st . . . of my family," he said, stumbling over the words. She could fill in the blanks. From Kai's bearing and mannerisms, she'd already suspected he was of royal blood.

Kai paused while the innkeeper set down their plates. "The test had some similarities to what we experienced. I was placed in a diving bell at the bottom of the ocean and ordered to escape through a tunnel of air. At that age, I wasn't expected to create the tunnel. The test was to verify that I could maintain it. At first all went well, but midway in my ascent, the column collapsed. I lost consciousness and likely would have drowned if a cousin hadn't dived into the water to rescue me." He began cutting the slab of Cumbrian sheep cheese into small slices.

"You must have been devastated," Irene said, careful to not overreact.

He nodded. "I was convinced I was a failure, of inferior blood. When I was recovering in the hospital, they discovered that the tunnel had been poisoned with a toxic chemical. The guilty party was never found, but it was quite a scandal. I had nightmares about the incident for a month or two, but I haven't experienced any for a long time. During the trial, I noticed a distinct odor in the passageway. It was of a species of nightshade which exists on that world. I later found out it was the base for the toxin. I smelled the same sickly sweet odor today." He clenched his fists in front of his face. "If anything had happened to you because of my weakness—"

"We don't understand what happened today," she said, interrupting. "Don't pummel yourself for something which may have been a Fae trick."

He raised a brow. "There's no way Lecerf could have known about the incident." Kai appeared determined to wallow in guilt and she was just as determined to pull him out of it.

"When you regained consciousness, you murmured a word. It sounded like _ning_. Does that mean anything?" In Chinese the word means _peaceful_. Kai was probably referring to being free of the tunnel, but it was a loose end which needed to be tied up.

If anything, he looked even more guilt-stricken. "It doesn't have any bearing."

After eating a few mouthfuls, Kai asked to be excused. He looked exhausted. Irene hoped he'd be able to rest, but she suspected he was too traumatized to sleep. He probably thought her words of reassurance were mere platitudes. PTSD could be the cause of his troubles in the tunnel, but it didn't explain why a Fae-concocted fantasy world was so similar to an incident from his childhood. Irene had seen the diving bell too. That couldn't possibly be a coincidence.

She moved to a comfortable armchair by the fire to reflect on their previous encounters with Lecerf . . .

By the time Vale returned, a pattern was emerging. She decided to use the unemotional detective as a sounding board before tackling her distraught assistant.

Vale shrugged off his wool trench coat. "I assume you found a book," he said, pulling up a chair next to her.

"How did you know?"

"Midway through the fascinating analysis I was giving on the Norman features of the church, Olmstead flinched as if he'd been slapped. He began twisting the ring on his finger, digging it into his flesh until it bled. A moment later, I felt a sudden compulsion to return to his house."

"He laid a glamour on you."

"Precisely. I delayed our departure to the last possible moment. I was pleased to see that your carriage wasn't in sight when we returned to Olmstead Manor. What did you do to provoke such consternation?"

Irene recounted the events of the day. "Kai is convinced he experienced a flashback, but I suspect there may be more to it."

Vale steepled his long fingers in front of his face as he contemplated the fire. The shadows from the flames gave him a devilish look. "You're sure Kai said '_ning_' when he regained consciousness?"

"That's what it sounded like to me and he didn't dispute it."

"I've heard him use that word before. In Thrushfield Hall, when we were transported to an alternate reality, we found a coffin which appeared to contain your corpse."

"I remember the incident."

"But you didn't receive the full account of what ensued. I was present when Strongrock told you what happened. He glossed over certain details. At the time, I didn't consider them germane to the case, and since they were of a personal nature, I didn't bring them up. But in light of today's developments, their significance has been heightened. Strongrock was deeply affected by the sight of your corpse. His agitation was extreme. Surely you're aware of the strength of his emotional attachment to you."

She nodded, fearing where Vale was heading. Kai's concern for her had led to a flashback.

"He insisted on opening the locket around your neck. When he saw the strand of his hair, I feared he would faint. As it was, he became oblivious to me, lost in a grief-stricken world of his own devising. It defied logic. How could the sight of his own hair cause such a reaction? When I remonstrated with him, he reexamined the contents of the locket and appeared equally shocked. It was evident he believed the contents had been transformed, even though I could detect no difference. A few seconds later, both the locket and your body disintegrated into dust. There's one more point you should know. Kai murmured the word _ning_ when he stared at the locket."

Rather than tying ends together, Vale's report unraveled Irene's carefully knitted solution, and there was only one way to mend it. When Vale left to monitor the lakeshore for sightings, she went upstairs to have what was certain to be an uncomfortable discussion with her apprentice.

A shaft of light was visible under Kai's door. Relieved he wasn't asleep, she knocked softly. "Kai, it's Irene."

He opened the door a minute later. The bed looked like it hadn't been touched.

He beckoned her inside with a nod of his head. "Come in."

Kai had removed his jacket. His white shirt was unbuttoned to mid-chest, revealing the black jade pendant he wore around his neck. Irene had noticed it before although it was usually concealed under his shirt. He looked impossibly handsome as well as young, vulnerable, and hurt. Irene wanted to comfort him and say everything would be okay, but she couldn't.

"Has Vale returned?" he asked.

She nodded. "Take a seat, Kai. We need to talk." His room contained a couple of spindly chairs on either side of a marble-topped table. A volume of poetry by John Keats lay next to the ether lamp.

Irene moved her chair to face Kai. "What happened in the lake was more than a tunnel collapse," she said, choosing her words carefully. "You appeared to be struggling with someone. Was it Ning?" She was playing a hunch that Ning was a woman, likely someone he'd been in love with.

He looked at her startled, confirming her hypothesis. "How did you know?"

"Vale told me you'd called her name when you looked at my locket in Thrushfield Hall."

He took a breath. "I should have told you, but given that I intend to resign, it didn't seem necessary."

"Resign? What are you talking about?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm a liability to you. You need a real partner, someone who won't crack under pressure. I've fallen far short of the mark."

"Before you get carried away with illogical and incorrect assumptions, let's review the evidence. Who is Ning?"

He was silent for a moment, leading her to fear he'd continue to shut her out.

"She was a girl I knew when I was what you would call a teenager." A shadow of a smile hovered for an instant on his face before vanishing. "We were in love, or as much as anyone could be at that age. It was the first time for both of us." He cleared his throat. "She was killed. I blamed myself. Still do. It shouldn't have happened . . ." His words trailed off. "That was ten years ago. I thought I'd put it behind me, but when I opened the locket in the Great Hall, I saw her face." He looked at her anxiously as if he thought she wouldn't believe him. "There was no mistake. It was a perfect likeness. I should have told you then. A Librarian psychologist would have diagnosed the issue immediately. First I thought it was your body in the coffin then I saw Ning's likeness in the locket. I must have panicked that I'd also be the cause of your death. But then Vale persuaded me I was simply overwrought because of the chaos which permeated the hall." He shrugged. "Not that he knew anything about Ning."

It was understandable why Kai hadn't told her. They'd both been dancing around their feelings. She'd slammed shut his attempts to reach out to her. "What happened in the tunnel today?"

"I called on a water spirit for assistance when I created the air passage. Once the tunnel was made and we'd started our ascent, the spirit transformed into the likeness of Ning and attacked me. In my hallucination, she was strangling me. Her breath was poison to my lungs. That's why I had such difficulty in maintaining the tunnel's integrity." He grimaced. "Now you know the extent of my illness. Is there a padded room in the Library or would you rather ship me back in disgrace to my father?"

"Neither," she declared, her heart immeasurably lightened. The solution she'd knitted on her second attempt looked better than ever. "From the beginning of our run-ins with Count Lecerf, I was concerned that you were being made a specific target. What you've told me is a confirmation."

Kai looked at her blankly. That he hadn't grasped how he was being played was probably due to exhaustion.

"At first I wondered if Lecerf was testing dragon vulnerabilities, but it's become apparent something much more insidious is going on. What if Lecerf created the illusions with the express purpose of driving you away from the Library? I know you feel you were hallucinating. But assume for a minute, you weren't. A Fae could have learned about your experience in the tunnel. They could have found out about Ning. Lecerf used Lady Moreton to create the fantasy in the great hall at Thrushfield. He designed the scene of the coffin and took advantage of the locket to make you think you were hallucinating. Then today . . . You said yourself how similar the chamber was to your earlier experience. That was no coincidence. Your vision of Ning was another spell cast by Lecerf which he probably wove into the illustration, knowing that you and I would fall prey to it."

"But if you're right, that means Lecerf knew in advance about our trips both to Thrushfield Hall and to Windermere."

"Which means there's a Library informant," Irene said, finishing the thought for him. "It also implies someone from your alternate is working in league with Lecerf. Who knew about the trial of air?"

"Only dragons are privy to the rite, but the accident was known among humans as well as other dragon kingdoms." He hesitated for a moment. "My family is . . . um . . . has a leadership role."

_Like your father is a king?_ This wasn't the time to bring up her suspicions. "How many knew of your friendship with Ning?"

"That was less well known. We tried to keep it a secret, but weren't as discreet as we should have been." His face grew serious. "A dragon in league with a Fae is unheard of. What we're discussing is high treason. Without evidence, my father would never consider the possibility. He'd much more readily believe that I'm mentally unstable." He added in a low voice, "My mother was of a much lower rank than my father."

He didn't explain further but Irene could fill in the gaps. Had he been taunted that he'd failed the test because he was of inferior blood? Was that why he'd been allowed to enter the Library?

She placed her hand on his arm. She could feel the warmth of his skin through the thin cotton shirt. "Up to Thrushfield Hall, you've experienced no flashbacks. When Alberich attacked in London, you were courageous to the point of recklessness. I'm convinced someone is trying to make you quit the Library. What do _you_ think is happening?"

He didn't answer at first. She knew she was requiring him to cast aside his prejudices and accept the belief he was being betrayed by one of his own. He nodded, clasping her hand. "I'm being set up."

"The question is why?"

"You may be the ultimate target. Our foes want to separate us to make you more vulnerable."

_Spoken like a true knight-errant, refusing to believe you're even more vulnerable_. "Possible but not likely. If you left, someone else would be assigned to me, although they probably wouldn't be a dragon. Much more likely is that you know something which threatens our foes."

#

Coppelia rocked slowly in her desk chair. "I concur with your analysis. Lecerf likely has formed an alliance with a dragon. Kai stated very few knew of his relationship with Ning. Someone highly placed in the dragon kingdom may fear Kai is able to expose them."

Irene had taken advantage of a local bookstore to create a temporary traverse to the Library. Not wanting to risk the book being recovered by Olmstead, she broke into the store during the night. Vale had returned from the manor to report that there was no sign of the owner. While Irene went to the Library, Vale and Kai monitored the lake for any recurrence of the fish-men. Irene suspected that with the book no longer in the Fae's possession, the supernatural sightings would cease.

The report she gave her supervisor was accurate but she'd left out any mention of Kai's initial concern about his mental unfitness.

"Don't discount the other possibility," Coppelia admonished. "Lecerf could view Kai's apprentice status as a preliminary step toward an alliance between dragons and the Library. That is nonsense, of course. The Library's neutrality will never waver, no matter what acts of sabotage are attempted. But if you'd died in the accident, Kai would likely have been held at fault. And from what you tell me, he would have accepted full responsibility. Dragons could have reacted harshly to any sentence imposed on him." Coppelia's piercing eyes bored into Irene's. "I trust your judgment in this matter. If you are confident your assistant is not delusional, it does not need to be discussed."

The implication being that it was now Irene's neck on the line as well as Kai's. If her assessment was incorrect, the punishment would be severe. "Lecerf's knowledge of our movements raises the likelihood that he is being assisted by someone within the Library," Irene said. "Any senior Librarian can access my travel log."

"That will no longer be the case," Coppelia assured her. "From now on, only Melusine and I will be able to view them."

Melusine was in charge of security at the Library. She was regarded with not a little fear by Irene and her fellow junior Librarians. To be called in front of Melusine was reportedly a harrowing ordeal which fortunately Irene had yet to experience. Melusine would be in charge of finding a traitor within the Library. Simply the thought that one existed at the nexus of the multiverse was profoundly disturbing.

Coppelia was already reading a manuscript in front of her, the implication being that Irene was being dismissed. It was understood that Irene would continue on her search for more of the portal-books, but Irene wasn't ready to leave just yet.

Coppelia arched an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Were there any special circumstances to Kai's recruitment to the Library? All he's told me is that he was approached with an offer which, in his words, he couldn't refuse." Kai had told her privately that he'd worked as a member of a gang in his uncle's alternate. His responsibility had consisted primarily in acquiring books, either legally or illegally. In other words, the job had been very similar to Irene's. He was told that if he didn't enter the Library, the recruiters would make sure he was arrested and his uncle apprised of his actions.

"After the events in Thrushfield Hall, I dug deeper in the matter," Coppelia said, a slight upward curve to her lips indicating her approval of the question. "The recruiters had received their instructions from Melusine. Kai's father had contacted her with the request and supplied her with Kai's details."

He might have considered the Library a safer place for Kai. All students spend a period of several years within the confines of the Library before going on fieldwork. Had he feared for Kai's life after the rite of air? Was there more to Ning's death than Kai was aware of?

Irene had started the discussion with one focus and left with several. At the top of her list was a discussion with Bradamant. Her fellow junior Librarian had displayed an unusual interest in Irene and Kai's cases. Why?

* * *

_Notes: Thanks for reading! Irene and Kai's adventures continue in the next story in the series: Rue Saint-Martin which I'll post in November. _

_Blog: Penna Nomen & Silbrith Conversation [pennasilbrithconversation.blogspot.com](http://www.pennasilbrithconversation.blogspot.com)_  
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